Church Skits & Plays
A Christmas skitThat’s Not How It Went!8–20 actors · 8–10 min

Christmas · 8–20 actors · 8–10 minutes · Children 5–10, with one adult narrator

That’s Not How It Went!

The children tell the Christmas story “exactly the way it happened,” and it goes wonderfully wrong: a lamb following Mary, a sign that says Bethle-HAM, and wise men bearing sneakers. A funny children’s nativity with one adult narrator and a true, gentle ending.

$8USD, tax included
  • Instant PDF download, yours to keep
  • Performance rights for your whole church
  • 30-day refund if it doesn’t fit your church
Running time8–10 minutes
Cast8–20 roles · Children 5–10, with one adult narrator
PrepMemorized, with two rehearsals. Each child learns 3–6 short lines; the narrator reads from a music stand.
Best forChildren’s Christmas program, Sunday school Christmas, family Christmas service
ScriptureLuke 2:10–14; John 1:29 (KJV)
ThemeGod treasures the simple, heartfelt faith of a child.
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

The narrator promises to tell the first Christmas exactly the way it happened. The children have other ideas. Mary brings a lamb, because Mary had a little lamb. Joseph asks if they’re there yet. The angels launch into “Twinkle, Twinkle,” and the wise men arrive with gold, a pair of sneakers and a diaper.

When everything happens at once, the narrator stops the show, sits down on the step and asks the children one question. Their short, honest answers are the heart of the program, and the Luke 2 reading that follows turns one of their “mistakes” into the best line of the night.

Every child’s part is short, with line counts for each role. The staging notes cover where everyone stands, microphones for small voices, and how to run it with about seven children or with a whole Sunday school.

Read the first page

(Lights up. The NARRATOR stands at the music stand, beaming at the audience. The manger sits center stage, the doll hidden in the straw.)

NARRATOR: Good evening, and merry Christmas! Tonight our children will tell you the story of the very first Christmas, exactly the way it happened.

SHEPHERD 1: (calling out from the front pew) Mostly!

NARRATOR: (a tight smile) Exactly the way it happened. (reading) Long ago, in the town of Nazareth, there lived a young woman named Mary.

(MARY comes up and walks proudly to center stage. The LAMB follows right behind her.)

NARRATOR: Mary, why is there a sheep following you?

MARY: Mary had a little lamb.

LAMB: Baa.

NARRATOR: No, that's not how it went. That's a different Mary.

MARY: Are you sure?

NARRATOR: Very sure. (The NARRATOR shoos the LAMB away. The LAMB moves one step closer to MARY.)

LAMB: Everywhere that Mary went...

NARRATOR: Yes, thank you, I know how it goes. (reading) Mary was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph.

(JOSEPH comes up and stands next to MARY.)

NARRATOR: (reading) The emperor ordered everyone to go back to their family's hometown to be counted. So Joseph and Mary set out on the long road to Bethlehem.

(The SIGN HOLDER marches up to one side of the stage and holds up the sign.)

SIGN HOLDER: Bethle-HAM!

NARRATOR: Bethle-HEM.

SIGN HOLDER: That's what I said.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • Narrator, the only grown-up, reading from a music stand; patient, for now
  • Mary, sure of herself, and sure about her lamb
  • Joseph, practical; asks what everyone else is thinking
  • Lamb, follows Mary everywhere, and has the gentlest line in the show
  • Sign Holder, pronounces it “Bethle-HAM”; a great part for your youngest
  • Angel and angels, loud, proud and ready with the wrong song
  • Three shepherds, one in reindeer antlers, because that’s what was left
  • Three wise men, bearing gold, sneakers and a diaper

Props

  • Music stand and a Bible for the narrator
  • Manger with straw and a baby doll
  • Hand-lettered BETHLEHEM sign
  • Reindeer-antler headband
  • Tinsel halos and crowns
  • Gold box, white sneakers and an unopened diaper (or a baby blanket)

What you get

  • The full script with stage directions
  • Cast list, props list and simple staging notes
  • Five discussion questions for a small group, youth group or Sunday school class
  • Performance rights for your church: perform it as often as you like and print copies for your cast

Performance rights

One purchase covers one church or ministry. Perform it as many times as you like, make copies for everyone in the cast and crew, adapt the lines and include it in your livestream. Please don’t resell the script or share the file publicly. Read the full license.

More for your Christmas program

Questions

Can I change the names or lines?

Yes. Change names and genders, trim lines for time or adapt a joke for your church. The script is yours to fit to your people.

Can we record and stream the performance?

Yes. You can include it in your livestream and post the recording on your church’s own channels.

How do I get the file after I buy?

Right after checkout you get a download link on the confirmation page and by email. It works for up to 20 downloads, and each copy is marked with your order so it stays licensed to your church.

Who is the seller on my receipt?

Payments are processed by Link, Stripe’s checkout, which acts as the reseller. Your card statement shows LINK.COM* CHURCHSKITS. Questions about the script itself come to us at hello@churchskits.org.

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